GurnBlenston

This is, without a doubt, the most egotistical film I have ever seen. Carol Morley takes a camera and interviews a bunch of people who knew her when she was of her head all the time. Some of these people are famous, presumably roped in to give this thing a selling point. They all comment on how messed up she was , then we see some POV footage while someone drones on the voice-over. None of this is the least bit interesting, unless you are Carol Morley or one of her mates, and then only maybe.

It's kind of like a home video of your aunties wedding but infinitely more depressing and boring.

Several years later it ends, and we know precisely eff all about the subject. But then again why should we care? Who the bleedin Christ is Carol Morley anyway, why would she assume that people would be interested in her?

Just like sitting next to a total drunk on the bus home as he tells you his life story and how it all went wrong...

Sonnys' on top form in this very ace and very 70s cop flick from Kinji Fukasaku. Chiba stars as the country bumpkin detective bought to Tokyo to solve the case of a 'dead' girl who may or may not be a rising young singer.

The plot and characters are by the book, but since this is a Sonny Chiba film that doesn't matter.

There are several outstanding action set pieces which are frankly superb, while Chiba may lack the elegance of more traditional martial arts stars but he more than makes up for it with sheer power.

Fukasakus' verite style captures a sleazy side of Tokyo wonderfully, yakuza, psycho cops, bikers, strippers and pimps populate the film and the strong cast give excellent performances.

There is a scene in 'Doberman Deka' where Sonny practically gets raped by a stripper after giving her his pig, and if you can't appreciate that then you have forgotten what cinema is all about!

Red Room has the production values and ambience of a snuff film. Admittedly this may be due to the un-subbed umpteenth generation bootleg i saw it on. The plot however is easy to comprehend, a bunch of strangers sit in a queasy looking industrial type space and draw cards. The loser then has to endure something horrible. Thats it for plot. In reality Red Room is a series of grotesque torture sequences, punctuated with (what i guess are) scenes of exposition and card drawing. The most memorable torture 'bit' being a lady taped to a swivel office chair and spun round and round FOR AGES. At first its funny, then its sickening before going back to being funny again. Also we have the old 'stick a hair dryer in someones mouth and let em have it' bit, as well as rape, watersports and sundry other delights.

As you may guess 'Red Room' is a freak show of a film, something to show a jaded friend who thinks he's seen it all.

Oh those wacky Japanese!